Volkswagen is demonstrating with the I.D. BUZZ concept vehicle in Detroit just how rich in features the electric mobility of tomorrow will be – an all-wheel drive spatial marvel with electric motors on front and rear axles, a fully automated driving mode (I.D. Pilot) and a new generation of indicators and controls. “The I.D. BUZZ is the next generation MPV. It is based on the new Modular Electric Drive Kit (MEB) and provides comfort and loads of space for long journeys. Its electric range as per the NEDC is up to 600 kilometres”, explains Dr Frank Welsch, Member of the Board of Management Volkswagen Brand for the Development Division. The I.D. BUZZ takes on new energy inductively or from a charging station. At a charging power of 150 kW, it takes around 30 minutes to charge up to 80 per cent.
The new I.D. BUZZ is now the first MPV with which that is possible: all that is needed is a gentle push on the steering wheel and it instantly moves back, melts into the cockpit and switches the I.D. BUZZ from manual into the fully automated ‘I.D. Pilot’ mode (envisaged as of 2025). Now, the driver’s seat can be turned around and the driver can face the passengers in the back. Laser scanners, ultrasound sensors, radar sensors, area-view cameras and a front camera scan the surrounding area, with other traffic data being received via the Cloud.
In the I.D. BUZZ the conventional cockpit no longer exists. The MPV instead projects the key information by means of an AR (augmented reality) Head-up Display into the driver’s field of vision – in 3D, in virtual format onto the road. Features such as the infotainment and air-conditioning functions are operated via a removable tablet. The main controls for driving, meanwhile, are located on the steering wheel. Its inner section is not – as is normal today – fitted with spokes and buttons, but rather has a kind of touchpad with capacitive fields, thus turning the traditional steering wheel into a multi-functional touch-sensitive steering wheel.
The use of space in the concept car, which has up to eight seats, is better than in any other electric vehicle. The multi-variable seating and interactive integration of the I.D. BUZZ makes a great deal possible. Thanks to the extended MEB XL platform, this 4,942 mm long, 1,976 mm wide and 1,963 mm high concept vehicle provides what for its class are extraordinary spatial dimensions inside as well.
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